A popular cafe that cooks delicious meals from food thrown away by local shops and supermarkets is getting a permanent base in Newcastle after raising thousands of pounds online.

The Magic Hat Cafe has previously run pop-up restaurants and outreach sessions across Newcastle, but after raising more than £20,000 on crowdfunding site Crowdfunder the business is now looking to open a permanent cafe in the city.

The cafe works to reduce food waste by intercepting surplus food from local shops, restaurants, and supermarkets when it is being thrown out and uses it to cook meals.

After raising more than £20,000 The Magic Hat Cafe has hit its target, guaranteeing it can pay its rent for the first year of business.

However, the community project has now added a new “stretch goal” to its crowdfunding campaign and is looking to raise an additional £5,000, which it will use to open an extra day each week, run more outreach sessions, and run a regular pop-up session at another location.

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The Newcastle cafe is part of “The Real Junk Food Project” - a network of cafes that aims to tackle the growing problem of food waste. More than a third of the world’s food supply is currently wasted.

The project also helps feed families in the local area by operating on a pay-as-you-feel model, where customers decide themselves how much the pay for the meal. It also runs a pay-as-you-feel market where people can purchase fresh produce.

Duncan Fairbrother, director at The Magic Hat Cafe, said: “We have been operating for just over three years as a pop-up initiative.

“We have done events all around the city and try to do it in different types of venues so we can reach as many people as we can about preventing food waste. We have done it in parks, on beaches and community centres, but the whole time we have been in operation we have dreamed about having our own place so we can reach as many people as possible.

“We wanted it to be in the city centre so we can reach people who are walking past as opposed to just people who are already in tune with food waste.

“Having our own place comes with costs. We are looking at a few different venues and we want to hire a chef so the food will be a of really high standard. So, we decided to run a crowdfunding campaign and we set a target of £20,000, which we just hit Thursday night.

“We have now launched the stretch target, which we have until 6pm on Saturday, December 8, to hit.”

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Since its launch the Magic Hat Cafe has hosted 37 pop-up cafes and events, rescued 10,500kg of edible food from landfill, and served 4,450 meals to the community.

The permanent kitchen will allow the organisation to reach more people and expand its pay-as-you-feel market.

As the crowdfunding campaign has yet to be completed the organisers have not decided which premises they will move into. However, it plans to be up and running in January or February of next year.

In celebration of hitting their fundraising target The Magic Hat Cafe is holding a party for those who want to show their support for the organisation. The party is being held at the Cumberland Arms from 3pm until late on Friday December 7. There will be food, live music, and a children’s area.